Rural livelihoods in many parts of Malawi are in a state of chronic decline, a trend that has been accelerated by the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. While much is known of the economic consequences of this devastating interaction, less is understood about the aggregate effects on the social structures of rural populations, how they are responding in innovative ways, how NGOs can support these innovations, and how those made most vulnerable can be effectively targeted. In December 2003, CARE Malawi began conducting a study in Lilongwe District to address these gaps in knowledge, and seeks funding from RENEWAL to continue with a second phase that is needed to complete this study in early 2004.
Like the first phase of this social pathways research, the second phase will take place in two villages in Lilongwe District, one peri-urban and one rural. Data has been or will be collected on lineage structures, social support mechanisms, socialisation and recreation patterns, asset stripping during times of protracted illness or funerals, and other issues, through a variety of techniques such as key informant interviews, focus group discussions, case studies, and social mapping exercises. Information will be collected from a range of groups, including those in the mainstream of village life and those who have been marginalised due to poverty and/or illness. Along with previous research carried out by CARE and other institutions in Malawi, this research will feed into a detailed analysis of the aggregate affects of growing rural poverty and vulnerability, and their acceleration by HIV/AIDS, on rural society; identify coping mechanisms or new social forms that may have evolved at household or community level as a response to the negative effects of HIV/AIDS on the livelihoods and rights of those still alive; and outline the nature of social pathways that have the potential of leading to more hopeful futures, and the types of strategies that would be required to nurture and support these. This information will then inform the policies and actions of relevant Government of Malawi institutions as well as CARE Malawi's strategic planning, programming, and advocacy, with the objective of empowering communities to improve their governance structures and take more effective action on their own behalf in the face of poverty and chronic illness. |